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Another vote for Oklahoma Joe's here! They just opened a third location. The original location, in the gas station, is closest to the city center(even though it is technically in Kansas)and would be considered the most "authentic" but it is also the smallest so waits can be long. The other two are in the suburbs.

For a more upscale BBQ experience, try Jack Stack in the Freight House District...very cool location! Here is their website:

I've had the privilege of eating KC BBQ on many occasions. Among the over 300 Q joints I've sampled around the country (yes, I'm an addict who refuses to do a 12 step, lol!), KC rates pretty darn high.

My favs:

1. Oklahoma Joe's (usually a long line at the original location - a former gas station - but it moves)

Also worth a visit: Jack Stack Brobeck's, Smokin' Guns, Quick's, Arthur Bryant's, Oklahoma Joe's and others. Joe's is not worth the extremely long wait in line.

But where to send someone depends a lot of what dishes they most want and the style of experience they want.

Unless the vegetarian is going to be satisfied with onion rings, French fries or coleslaw, most of those will not work for you. Your best bets are Jack Stack, RJ's Bob-Be-Que Shack, or McGuire's BBQ (great smoked green beans or corn).

Keith has a good point. You really need to have a conversation with your vegan/veg friend about what her expectations are for eating at a barbecue restaurant. I'm sure the rings, fries, etc. won't be fried in the proper oil, etc and the butter on the corn won't be right, and so on. But she may be flexible. Many are.

JAck Stack is a nice, "restaurant-y" experience with good BBQ (but not awesome, cool, authentic-y KC bbq the way some of us think of it.) It may be the only way for your your veg friend to get a bite to eat that does not compromise her values. I haven't looked at the menus, though, so I may not know of what I speak. I say all of this from living here most of my life and having eaten at many of these places.

I say all this as a newish vegetarian (and yes, I used to like burnt ends very much!)

Wow! Thanks all! this is a great list and now I can't wait to be a "barbeque foodie"

Thanks kit, that's sweet of you to be concerned. I've been a vegetarian in the past and still eat healthy. My friend understands and she's free, even of her own conventions and may very well decide, "when in KC..."

Anyhoo, she can cross the bbq bridge when everyone gets there. If there is a convenient place that serves salad or maybe she'll get a hankering for those burnt pieces - oh my they look good

We won't give up the best bbq to please one, when there may well be a couple of us.

I agree with the above posters - the best bet for your veggie friend is Jack Stack's. The one in the Freight House district is very nice, but the Plaza location is hard to beat. Jack Stack's is more "restaurant-y" as Kit said. It is like "fine dining" BBQ. If you want a real, honest to goodness BBQ "joint" then check out Gates, OK Joe's, Bryant's, etc... Everyone has their own favorites for the best BBQ in KC, but I think OK Joe's is hard to beat. Smoke n' Guns was just on DDD along with two other local joints I'd never heard of - which makes me wonder how Guy picks his restaurants.

If you REALLY want to experience BBQ, come to Kansas City the first weekend in October for the Kansas City Royal BBQ competition. The entire city smells like BBQ and the smoke cloud is visible for miles. Very fun.

One more thing - while you are in KC, pickup some "Meat Mitch" sauce (available in grocery stores or online). It is our family favorite.

It's going to be a down-to-earth-get-a-stack-of-napkins-cuz-things-will-be-messy kind of place.

My friend will live through it . I love doing shots of wheatgrass with my organic apples as much as the next woman but when in the land of meat, one must not falter. This seems to be serious business.
We're going to a convention so we'll have many choices of dinner companions.

I imagine that there are plenty of vegetarian and healthy food places in KC, Unity Village is near by and that must have some influence.

Unity Village is close by but I don't think it has much influence on the meat eating habits of the area. We used to go to their cafeteria frequently- they had meat on the menu as I recall but the best thing they had was peach pie- yum.

Unity Village is not what I would consider close to the rest of Kansas City...it's off to the southeast closer to the suburbs in that area. The vegetarian restaurant at the Unity Temple on the Plaza is nice...quite spacious and I've heard good things about it (it's in the basement so is not visible from the street...just an fyi for you).

I'll jump back in -- Eden Alley is the veg restaurant in the basement of the Unity Temple. Basement sounds weird, but it is a very popular restaurant and a very good, typical vegetarian one, too. I think you might like the Temple, too, on Sunday if you enjoy Unitarian services. Also very popular in Kansas City.

The Nelson and Kemper are wonderful art museums, the former much larger than the latter, if you are having time issues. Be sure to see the Thomas Hart Bentons if you go to the Nelson. He's our native son. I can never get enough.

The Jazz Museum is co-located with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which I personally prefer, but both are easy to see at the same time. And both are near Arthur Bryant's BBQ if you want a real, down and dirty BBQ experience. All are in the historic 18th and Vine district, and easy cab ride.

The WWI museum is also downtown and the Truman Library is in an eastern suburb. I think the exhibits/papers on his decision to drop the bomb and (separately) recognizing Israel are something worth seeing, too, if you like presidential libraries.

As for the art museums, the Kemper is all modern art, and free while the Nelson, as kit said, is much larger and is a more "traditional" art museum. They are very close to each other and just east of the Plaza.

The WWI museum is north of the Plaza and just south of downtown. It is extremely well done and very interesting if you enjoy history at all.

The Steamboat Arabia Museum is unique to Kansas City and has been a big hit with every visitor I have taken there. My sister in law still talks about it an is going back the next time she is in town. http://www.1856.com/

Woodyard hasn't been mentioned. Cool place.
I know they have Salmon-maybe only on Fridays(?).
LC's has the best burnt ends.
Thomas Hart Benton home is a neat historical site to visit-in midtown.
The Shawnee Mission on 53rd in Fairway
might pique your interest also.

Another great place to eat that will be great for your vegetarian friend is Succotash at 26th and Holmes. That's just east of Crown Center if you're going to be anywhere near there. Awesome, awesome breakfast joint. Local food. Just great. And vegan/vegetarian friendly.

I live in KC, and our restaurants are generally underappreciated by people outside the area, IMO. We're more than just BBQ.

Thanks ksbeem and musicfan. I think I'm going to enjoy KC, already people are so nice!

We're kicking around the idea of going to Unity Plaza on Sunday Morning for the meditation. Unity Village is, alas, too far and we're planning the Nelson-Atkins for the afternoon before our plane leave.

Where is the Succotash in relationship to Unity Plaza and the musueums?

I get to KC only occasionally from work. When I first started trekking out there, it caught me by surprise - didn't fit my preconception at all.

BBQ places are indeed to be sought out, and as you saw they are numerous.

The WW1 Museum is just jaw-dropping. I cannot believe it is in D.C. with the other Smithsonian museums. At least this way, people can visit who otherwise could not make that journey to the east coast. But it is truly, truly a "not to miss" place.

One friend and I are avid art fans. The other friend is happy to go along. Do you think WWI museum is better than the Kemper or the Nelson- Atkins? Now, I'm stopping to wonder. I'll present all ideas to the group.

It's kind of an apples vs. oranges thing to compare the WWI museum to art museums. It really is quite impressive, on par with any history museum in Washington DC (and DS is working there this summer!), but if you are an art fan, then I'd say the Nelson and Kemper would be more to your liking since your time is limited. Also, from what I recall, the Kemper is fairly small, and free, so it would not take a lot of time and they are pretty close to each other.

I just got in from KC and I'm on the Kansas City high right now! It is a magnificent and magical city!
While going through the must-see list with my friend, I tossed out that there was a Steam Boat Museum and was going to just move on. I didn’t think it was a big whoop, quite honestly. My friend’s eyes lit up and she said, “Where else are you ever going to see a Steam Boat?”
It was fairly close to the hotel and we got our little group together and hopped on the MMAX bus. It was an easy ride from Crown Plaza where we were staying. When we got there and I saw that it was $14 to get in, I was less enthused but we were there. I plunked down my cash and scuttled along without too much complaining. Then the tour started.
We spent an hour and half to two hours calling each other over to see this or that and marveling at buttons, boots, Wedgewood china and all of it. With me being the loudest of the, “did you see this??? It’s amazing.” Oh please, I just couldn’t think of another word.
Informative, I’ve been to many, many museums. I can’t recall a museum where I've been as captivated by a subject I found rather dry going in.
Ksbeem, “especially considering it was excavated and curated entirely by amateurs.” That was one of the most captivating parts of this. They weren’t really amateurs, were they? They just took their particular skill set and applied it in a new and creative way. It was like they were divinely guided. I don’t want to get all “unity” on you but wow, what a great story.
They seemed like a group of smart business people who followed their guidance and got a spark. One of the brothers spent a lot of time researching. They were smart already, and trusted themselves and that part of the story just made us smile.
I want to mention, since I was “brash,” the word another visitor used when she overheard me ask. This project was entirely funded by this group. The museum isn’t getting money, it makes money. The lab and they look forward to future projects because they make money.

At the end of the tour I mentioned to the guide, Rebecca, what my friend had said when I was reluctant to come. “Where else are you ever going to see a Steam Boat?”

She smiled and said, "well, you didn't really see a steam boat, did you?"

Ah yes, back to the original question. I went to 2 BBQ places.
We stayed at Crown Plaza and attended a conference there. Lunch was on limited time so I went to 3 Little Pigs in the Mall. It was remarkable only in that it was the slowest service imaginable. I had the pulled pork and I was so hungry by the time I got the sandwich, it didn’t matter.
In the evening we got a group together and went downtown to the Country Club Plaza. I was into going to somewhere like Oklahoma Joes or one of the more “casual” places but hanging out with a group is always more fun so we ended up at Jack Stack’s. I had the pork ribs (you may see a pattern here- I love “the other white meat ) Traded some for some beef and it was delicious. We were all happy with the outcome, including the non-carnivores among us. They were very happy with the Salmon on a nice bed of fresh greens. It looked really good. Jack Stack’s also had a decent beer list.

On Friday night after the Steam Boat Museum we took the MMAX down to Country Club Plaza and it became the part of town we gravitated to for our stay. Eden Alley was a little noisy inside but they have a nice patio too, we didn’t mind the noise and ate in the dining room and had the best vegetarian meal I have ever had, hands down and I’ve had lots, I do mean Lots of vegetarian meals. One of the specials was a butternut squash pancake with a fresh pesto and zucchini. Oh my, it was heavenly. I’m not really much of a foodie so it’s difficult to describe it but it’s worth it to try.

The pancake was light and looked like a thick tortilla at the bottom of the plate, the butternut flavor came through and the pesto was a perfect accent for it, with a little cheese on it to give it some body. The zucchini was perfectly cooked, showed to the fire and left with plenty of crunch. They have a special Friday Date Night- Two meals for $30, includes dinner and dessert for two. A couple of people ordered the Horchata and reported it to be one of the best they’ve ever had.

We thought about going to Succotash for Sunday Brunch and heard from a local that it was a good choice but we didn’t get it together on time since attending service at Unity Temple took priority. I’m so glad we did.

We walked over to the Nelson- Atkins after the service and ate in the museum café, Rozzelle Court. It came highly recommended from some people at Unity and we had planned on it anyway because it just makes sense to eat at the museum. What a beautiful space, it was such a good meal and the setting was so lovely, we lingered and didn’t see as much of the museum as planned. We made it to the Modern collection and poked around in some other rooms. I think that museum is worth a whole day.

I have to tell you all that from your response to my question, I knew the people in KC would be really nice but everyone we met was more than nice. We were in the wrong spot for the bus and the bus driver stopped for us! We were in a state of shock and he had to say, "hurry up get in here! No don't bother with the money just sit down."

I loved that downtown area, it took me a long time to walk those few blocks, the detail is breathtaking.

I do want to mention that I loved the intricacies of Kansas City. The Unity Temple building had this art deco chrome railing that looked as though it had been installed last week. The details of the sanctuary were impressive, from the wood carvings to the windows. The chairs were very comfortable.

That whole area was a joy, from surface articulations of the buildings, railings and doors to the gorgeous gardens tucked into street corners and store fronts and the big round hanging baskets that floated like floral balloons above us. It reminded me of a Spanish city kept clean by Mid-West sensibilities. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Glad you had a great time! I will pass along your comments on the Steamboat Arabia to the family -- they live in my part of town and we see them quite often. They've received awards for their work on the steamboat.

On an interesting side note, I've been telling my husband how much he will love KC. Today Anthony Bourdain did a segment on Kansas City. He also ended up at Jack Stack's but like me, he craved the more casual dining experience. Lucky Anthony, he had time

He also talked about the earlier history of the mob and the party side of the town. Interesting history.

Well, I probably wouldn't strike up a conversation with it. On the other hand, it's difficult to say when the conversational bone might strike or when you're going to meet someone with whom it may be okay.

The other night when we were at the Sheraton (where my friends took the "shoportunity") We were standing on a little balcony overlooking the renovation of the lobby and it seemed to vibrate. (do you know where I'm going with this?)

I wasn't going to say anything about the walkway, but then one of my friends mentioned that KC "resonated" with her. I had to tell them because my husband had told me about that hotel disaster caused by the resonate frequencies, just 2 weeks before. I thought that perhaps it had been the walkway that was now the Link but wasn't sure.

My friends and I were curious and we asked a young man working at the hotel about it. (he struck me as an engineer type

I felt a little funny asking about it but he didn't seem to mind and also told us that the Sheraton plans to put in a memorial.

btw ksbeem, thank you that does sound like just the type of book that gets my husband excited about a city. Decent architecture and art will make him listen but give him some chewy history and he can't resist

I used to work in a Dr's office in KC - on the Plaza and some of our patients were mob related.

Heard some pretty interesting stories about the mob activity- thanks for the link to the book- will see if I can get on the Nook.

Lsky- are you talking about when the walkway gave way at the Hyatt many years ago? I knew several people who were there that night and were injured and several who were part of the rescue- it was pretty awful.

Here's a great documentary about the history of the mob in KC...coincidentally, I just watched it about 10 days ago. If you live in KC, you can easily check it out of one of the libraries (or buy it at one of the Best of KC stores.)

It starts clear back with the families immigrating from Italy and ends with the Civella/Vegas trial.

And regarding the Hyatt skywalks: I would say they are talked about pretty openly here. If you made it across the link and veered left, looking over the first floor lobby -- you were approximately where the lower level walk used to hang.

Kit, the reason I hesitated to ask about it was it was relatively recent and I didn't want to asked someone who may have lost a loved one and have them think I was just treating their tragedy as a toursit attraction. Not that it's not widely known or I even wanted to go to the site; we just ended up there.

I had thought it was the walk way of the Link. It turned out it was where we were looking out. It wasn't something I was going to bring up to my friends.

Anthony Bourdain covered some of the mob in his show about Kansas City.

Me too- thought it was a mistake as I remember it as the Hyatt- things change I guess.

I found the book about the KC mob on my Nook so I ordered it- should be interesting.
One of the mob connected guys that used to come to our office used to always bring us sandwiches from one the Italian deli's when he came for an apt- he also used to bring loose diamonds to sell us and other things- don't know where they came from, didn't ask and didn't buy.

Hey Sunbum, didn't know you were a former KC'er. I worked in the record industry for several years,so I understand the drift of your posts.,
We were showing my best friend's BIL around town, freshly arrived from Northern Iowa, when we chanced upon the Hyatt disaster. I think it touched most folks in KC personally in one way or another.
We were rockin' at the T dance.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knED55xbV9w&feature=related

bbqboy- you were at the Hyatt when it happened? Yes I think anyone who lived there at the time knew someone who was involved. Also the big flood that went through the Plaza- yikes- that was a dreadful night.

I lived in KC area for about 18 yrs- actually Raytown, Lee's Summit ( Raintree Lake)

I didn't live in Kansas City at the time, but my SIL & BIL did. One of their neighbors was killed, so yes, you are right-most anyone having KC connections at the time likely knew someone affected; it was a huge tragedy.